Electrical systems typically incorporate several electrical components which require reliable electrical interconnections for the proper operation of the system. Oftentimes, entire printed circuit boards must be electrically connected to other components of an electrical device. In such cases, reliable connectors are essential to maintain these electrical pathways between the components and circuit boards.
In the electrical art it may be desirable to locate printed circuit boards in a plane that is different from the plane in which other electrical components are located. For instance, it may be desirable to recess a printed circuit board into a mounting surface. If so, it can happen that the electrical contacts on the mounting surface and the electrical contacts on the circuit board may be located at different levels. Such a configuration requires an electrical connector with the ends of its electrical contacts located in different planes.
Even though the electrical component configuration may be different, in that a step-down or step-up connection is required, the configuration must also satisfy design criteria that are more common. For instance, it is common for even simple electrical systems to require many electrical interconnections. Therefore, there is a need for an electrical connector that includes a plurality of conductive leads for connecting a plurality of contact surfaces. Further, electrical systems in the modern art are frequently designed with the goal that components and circuit boards will be easily removable for replacement or repair. Thus, there is a need for an electrical connector that can easily accommodate repeated removal and replacement of system components and circuit boards without diminishing the overall system performance.
It is widely known in the art that a good solid mechanical connection is required to establish reliable electrical connections. One problem in this regard is that electrical contact surfaces oftentimes acquire a nonconductive coating or film, that must be penetrated to establish reliable electrical connections. This can be done by positioning contact points at the end of cantilevered beams which move slightly during the connecting process. This movement, though slight, will often be sufficient to scratch through the coating and allow for a good electrical connection. An example of such a connector is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,484,295 which issued to Mowry et al., for an invention entitled, "Low Profile Compression Electrical Connector", and which is assigned to the same assignee as the present invention.
In light of the above, it is an object of the present invention to provide a reliable electrical connector assembly that has a plurality of electrical connectors, with one end of each connector being in one plane, and the other end of each connector being stepped into another plane. Another object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connector assembly that easily accommodates repeated removal and replacement of system components and circuit boards. Another object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connector assembly that establishes solid electrical contact between the assembly and contact points on electrical components. It is another object of the present invention to provide an electrical connector assembly which has contact points that scratch through the film on electrical contacts when the electrical connector assembly is mated with another component, to establish reliable electrical connections. Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connector assembly which is relatively simple to manufacture, is relatively easy to implement, and is comparatively cost effective.